Black Velvet
by Link-luvr
Summary: Oneshot. Raine thinks about Kratos. Black velvet chooses you, not the other way around...regardless you’ll pine to have it. Reflective piece. Kraine


A.N: Hello to everyone reading this (some of you I may be familiar with, some of you I may not...this is irrelevant but there you go) thanks for stopping at this fic and taking an interest in it. Please read on.

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**Black Velvet**

She stood in front of the full length mirror taking in her reflection as cheers echoed around the city in exaltation. Fireworks burst into showers of colour high in the night sky, delighting the crowds as sparkles fell like stardust, lighting the area with pure silver.

Raine turned her attention to the window for a second, noting the bright flashes and their cheery display, eventually being drawn to the balcony to watch them, checking her robe was tied securely as she walked over. She could decided on a dress later…but which to choose…blue silk, purple taffeta or something a little more…daring?

It was the just the beginning of a long evening of celebrations for the re-unification of the world and the germination of the Kharlan tree…a good enough reason to celebrate…it was just that Raine would've preferred to spend the evening speaking with her friends than attending some ball.

A voice drifting up from below her window reached her ears and she recognised it instantly, its subtle bass tones and unique pattern demanding her attention she looked down, noting the man standing below her balcony. He looked up suddenly as if catching her gaze on him and he smiled gently, a soul melting expression coming from him. She returned it warmly and in a flash of inspiration as she heard him call to someone, she spun away, choosing her outfit for that evening without hesitation, plucking it from where it hung on the mirror and donning it.

It would be an attractive dress on most women. It was downright stunning on her.

Black. Figure-hugging. Velvet.

Despite its appearance on her though, there was only one reason she had chosen this dress.

It was her embodiment of _him._

--

He was black velvet.

Velvet in itself was not hard to obtain, it was relatively common and you could pick some up anywhere, just about. If you wanted good quality that was infrequent. If you wanted it black…it was damn near impossible to get. No matter what you were willing to do to get it, it always managed to evade you somehow.

It was a wonderful thing to have if you got it, no-doubt, it was something precious that you would love and cherish beyond all rationality. There was no reason for it to be so wonderfully really, it just was.

The problem was…when something so wonderful comes along…you're not the only one who wants it. Everybody wants black velvet and that means you're in for a hell of a rough time trying to get it. You would see it the same time as 20 other people, sitting there innocently, oblivious, just waiting to be snatched up and you would go for it. But so would they, so you'd have to push and shove and elbow your way through to get it…but the problem is…you haven't got what it takes. You're not the type that suits black velvet, don't have the figure or colouring to pull it off…but you'll fight for it even if you know you're not going to win…because it's worth it.

That wonderfully rare, beautiful item that glints with the light shone onto it…that seems to have its own unnatural beauty that called to everyone silently, regardless of every detail of each person. No-one could escape its allure.

So considering that everybody wants it…it was really quite good luck that black velvet is so discerning and only suits certain people. If you're the type that suits it.

If it's worth it you'll fight for it, even if you don't suit it though. Black velvet chooses you, not the other way around...regardless; you'll pine to have it.

When you had black velvet…it encompassed you, it made you whole somehow, enveloping you in its smooth embrace, making you feel precious and wanted and beautiful. Even if you didn't have it on you…its mere presence was enough.

There was just one problem with black velvet.

It was the kind of thing that could fill your every desire. It was also the kind of thing that took a lot of work to get it to work with you and bestow its wonders upon you.

Most of the time it was sharp and prickly, rubbed up the wrong way (seemingly on purpose) by some unknown force. It was harsh and stand-offish and despite its beauty…unpleasant to be around. So you would spend your time trying to soften it, subtly of course, because if you did it blatantly, it refused and seemed to become even more difficult to work with.

But now and again, after all that time and effort, you'd see glimpses of what it could be…what it should be…if it had been treated the right way from the start, if it hadn't been used to clean glasses and line boxes for other sparkling treasures…if it hadn't been used for dirty work.

All you had to do was find out how to touch it, and it would be willing to show you the side of it you wanted to see. You just had to be able to put the time in.

Black velvet…it had so many connotations. So desirable, so sensual and sexual. It could feel so good, it could look so amazing, it could make you feel fabulous with just a flicker of itself in your direction.

It was class, it was beauty and it was power. It was a luxury and it was a necessity.

It was the depths of the ocean and it was the sky at night.

Profound, infinite, mysterious, untouchable and pure.

It was the foundations of the earth and it was the earth's creator, it was an angel and it was a devil. It was a lover and a friend. An enemy and a traitor.

It was the fabric of time and space and everything in between.

It was black velvet.

It was Kratos Aurion.

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"Are you looking to impress someone in particular? Or do you just like the notion that every male in this courtyard can't take their eyes off you?"

The voice came from behind her, startling her as she sipped champagne from a crystal flute and stared at the dance floor. Raine turned suddenly, already knowing who it was by that black velvet voice, meeting his garnet eyes.

"Can a lady not dress up on a special occasion?"

"Of course, I meant no offence."

He looked away at the dance floor as Raine stepped back, trailing her gaze down him, the way his suit fitted his perfect figure so snugly, the white material emphasising the lines of his muscles.

"I'd ask you to dance with me," he stated, turning back to her suddenly and barely giving her a chance to pull her gaze back to his face "…but I'm afraid it's something that I've never been good at."

"Should we take a stroll instead then?" she suggested and a slow smile appeared on his lips as he held his arm out for her to take.

"We should."

They left the courtyard and the crowds behind, slipping away, unseen, into a silent, secluded area where they could speak without shouting and could hear themselves think.

It was just a pity that the only thing Raine could barely think at the moment.

"Raine…" Kratos stated as he looked up at the stars "…there's something I wish to admit to you and I hope you don't think me foolish or too forward…"

She tilted her head, hoping that this was the time at whoosh he would admit a long concealed love for her.

"Will you allow me to demonstrate?…I believe my actions will speak louder than words."

It fluttered inside her chest, her heart beating in a flurry of emotion and she nodded silently as he stepped closer, resting his hands on either side of her neck.

"Raine…" It was a breathy noise that escaped his lips, warm air playing over her skin and then his velvet lips were on hers.

She answered him with her actions, her heart showing through her motions as she wrapped her arms around him, allowing his calloused hands to stray down her bare back and arms.

He pulled away, his mouth open, trying to form words when she put a white finger against his lips, hushing him in the flawless silence, her eyes telling him that he needed no words, that she understood.

Smiling, he let her turn in his arms and press her back to his chest, her head tilting back.

They stood silently, watching the silken moon and stars as they glittered in a black velvet sky.

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And there we have it. thanks for reading, I hope you liked it. Please review and have a Merry Christmas! 


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